Section of West Lothian M8 reopens after police 'incident' sparked two-hour closure

A section of the busy West Lothian M8 has now reopened after a two-hour closure due to a police 'incident'.

Traffic Scotland and West Lothian Police informed motorists of the closure between Junction 3A and 4 near Whitburn around 11am on Saturday, with the road being closed in both directions and traffic reportedly at a standstill.

Pictures on social media have shown motorists out of their cars and looking down the road as traffic ground to a halt.

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One eyewitness on Twitter reported seeing "huge tailbacks" and "police cars everywhere," although the exact cause of the road closure is currently unknown.

West Lothian Police posted confirmation of the incident on their social media channels, saying: "Due to a police incident the M8 is currently closed W/bound at Jct3a. Blackburn Road into Bathgate is also closed."

Live traffic cameras show huge tailbacks building on the M8 as the road between Junction 3A and 4 remains closed. (Traffic Scotland)

While Traffic Scotland tweeted: "NEW: 11:25 #M8: J3A - J4. The #M8 is currently CLOSED in both directions between J3A and J4 (Whitburn) due to an ongoing Police Incident. Traffic beginning to tailback on both approaches. Traffic is currently being held with no diversion yet in place."

Replying to Traffic Scotland, another motorist stuck in the queues near the incident said that whatever was happening looked "concerning."

Another said that it looked like an incident involving a bus, adding: "Looks to be a bus sideways on the westbound side. Police have also closed Blackburn road, I assume the accident visible from the flyover. Hope everyone is ok."

Police confirmed that both lanes are now open following the incident and Traffic Scotland updated motorists, adding that there are still heavy delays but traffic should soon clear.

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